ECONOMIC PLANTING 237 



low-lying, maritime estate, which favoured the 

 growth of most trees, is, that the Douglas Fir 

 must occupy a sheltered situation if either orna- 

 ment or utility be considered as points of import- 

 ance ; indeed, a lengthened experience gained on 

 an estate where it is, perhaps, grown in greater 

 quantity than on any other, has now fully con- 

 vinced me that the Douglas Fir, when planted 

 in this country, is only to be recommended for 

 sheltered valleys. 



The Silver Fir {Abies pectinata), which is a 

 naturalised exotic tree, attains to an immense size 

 in this country and produces large quantities of 

 timber of second-rate quality. Sometimes it is 

 difficult to dispose of the big, unwieldy trunks of 

 Silver Fir, which in many instances when full 

 grown will contain 200 cubic feet of timber. When 

 thoroughly seasoned — and it should never be used 

 in a green state — the wood is useful for temporary 

 purposes such as fencing, shed-building, and in 

 the making of boxes and packing-cases. The 

 price is low, usually less than that of either Spruce 

 or Scotch Pine, and we have sold large, clean 

 trees at the round sum of los. or 20s. according 

 to accessibility. The expense of removal is often 

 considerable in the case of large logs of the Silver 

 Fir, and this, as well as the second-rate quality 

 of the timber, has lessened the value of the tree. 

 The wood is light, with no great quantity of resin, 

 and the tree when young is apt to be injured by 

 frost in the spring. It is unsuited for high-lying, 

 exposed situations, succeeding best in mixed hard- 

 wood plantations on low lands where the soil is 

 rich, deep, and damp. 



